Torpedo-guard.



H. L. WEBER.

Patented Apr. 30,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. L. WEBER.

TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION Fl LED JUNE 29. 1911.

hm fiqh Patented Apr. 30,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fi-rl y 3 u nnrrnn eraarne rarnn r @Fhlfld HENRY L. WEBER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TORPEDO-GUARD.

Application filed June 29, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. WEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use ful Torpedo-Guariof which the following is a specification. v

My invention consists of a device for guarding a ship from the injurious action of a torpedo, the same consisting of a bar ricr which issustained'on the exterior of the hull of a ship, and removed therefrom so that if a torpedo is directed to the ship it will be obstructed by said barrier and its force exerted on the latter, whereby the ship may be saved, provision being made for removing an injured or destroyed member of the barrier and replacing it with a fresh member.

The invention is satisfactorily illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but the important instrumentalities thereof may be varied, and so it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described, as long as they are within the spirit or scope of the claims.

Figure 1 represents a front or rear end elevation of a torpedo guard for a ship embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a top or plan view thereof on anenlarged scale.

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of one of the racks employed.

Fig. a represents a horizontal section thereof on the line H Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 represents a vertical section of on the line 5-5 Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 represents a front or rear end elevation of another form of the guard.

there- Fig. 7 represents a front elevation of a portion of the device.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings,

1 designates a portion of the hull of a ship to the sides of which are firmly secured by the brackets 2, the stays 3 which extend laterally from said sides and have depending from their outer portions the hangers a which are placed one outside of the other and separated from each other forming a series of intervening passages 5, it being seen that said hangers are of differential lengths, they increasing in length from the outer hanger as they descend toward the Specification of Letters E'atent.

Patented Apr. 30, 191%,

Serial No. 177,651.

heel of the boat, but the inner hanger is continued downwardly so as to extend under or below the keel, as shown in Figs. 1 and p 6 designates racks which are formed of frames composed of top rails 7 the bottom rails 8, and the side rails 9, and the vertical slats or rails 10 whose terminals are secured firmly to the top and bottom rails 7 and 8 respectively.

The side rails 9 of the racks are adapted to be fitted slidably and consequently freely in the passages or ways 5, so as to adapt said racks to be lowered and raised in said ways, the side rails 9 having thereon the anti-friction rollers 11 which are adapted to contact with the walls of the ways 5, so as to ease the motions of the racks while being introduced in said ways 5, and removed therefrom.

It will be seen that each rack is adapted to be lowered into the respective way 5 to a limited extent, but each rack may be lowered to a greater extent than its neighbor, consequently, the racks when in position are consecutive from top, one below the other so as to form barriers exterior of the hull of .the ship removed a certain distance therefrom due to the stays 3.

Attention is directed to the fact that the top and bottom rails of the racksare tapering or pointed as at 12, so as to present in clined sides to the front and the vertical slats 10 of the racks are'likewise tapering or pointed as at 13 so as to present inclined sides at acute angles to the front, and said slats are separated so as to leave intervena ing passages 14:, as more plainly shown in Figs. 3 and i. V

On the upper ends of the racks Gare eyes 15 which are adapted to be engaged by a suitable hook or grapple, whereby the racks may be guided into position or removed therefrom. as required or desired.

It will be seen that when a torpedo is directed to the ship it will encounter a barrier'formed by the succession of depending racks.

Consequently, the war head or explosive member of a torpedo may strike the barrier, and it will be caused to glance surely from the racks owing to the tapering or pointed acute-angular nature of the members of the racks, but it may enter between the slats 10 and be held by the same so that its explosion if any may injure or destroy the rack that may be engaged, but it. will not reach the hull of the ship, and so its injurious force or action is removed from the latter thus saving the ship.

' As a rack may be destroyed or injured it may be readily slidably raised anddrawn upwardly through the ways in the hanger without disturbing the other racks, and so it may be replaced by a fresh rack, whereby the protection or guard afiordedby the con tinuity of the racks is renewed.

The hangers and their ways may be of circular form as at 14% Fig. l, or right lined at 14-, Fig. 6, without producing different results, in either case it being seen that the guard is protectiv'e in both constructions of the sides of the hull of the ship as well as the keel therefor sothata torpedo cannot be directed straight against the sides or raised to reach the hull without meeting. in its path the obstruction or barrier in ques- :It is evident that the guard is effective for the protection of a ship fro1na mine for when the bow portion of the guard engages such mine, the latter will explode without reaching the ship;

' It will beundersto'odthat the guard will be placed around the-bow, stern and sides of the ship, so that the ship will be under protection of the same throughout its length.

Attention is directed to the fact that the outer'port-ionsof, the hangers 4 have thereon the series of successive descending outturned noses 16in the slots or-passages 5 on which the racks Gare slidably fitted, The bottoms of said slots or passages are closed, the walls of which limit the descent of the respective racks. The fronts of said nosesare pointed so as to be ta'peringor sloping whereby in the event of the noses being struck by a torpedo, the head of the latter will be caused to glance therefrom, this being true. also of the fronts of the racks, it being noticed also'that the lower railsof the upper rack is in front of and overlaps the upper rail of the second rack' and so througl'iout the'series whereby there are no existing gaps between the racks one; below the other, as most plainly shown inFig. 7-. v

Having thu's desc'ribed'm'y invention what I claim a new and desireto secure by Letes P51581111, is

1 Atorpedq guard for a ship composed of series of hangers each with vertically ez' itendiiigfways therein independent of each other, and racks to'be placed in said hangers onebehind the other and forming a descendingcontlnuity of each other, said racks j being" removable through said ways inde-' e0 pendentiy of each other; 7

2; A torpedo guard for a ship composed of"a"'series of hangers independent of each other, one behind the other pendent from the sides of the hull of the ship, vertically extending ways in said hangers independently of each other, and barrier members adapted to occupy said ways successively from top downwardly, said sides providing against the advance of a torpedo to the ship, said rack like members being removable from said hangers independently of each other.

8. A torpedo guard for a ship composed of a hanger having vertically extending ways, rigid barrier members adapted to occupy said ways and removable therefrom independently of each other, anti-friction rollers occupying said ways, said barrier having members with tapered sides and the hanger having noses.

4. In a torpedo guard for a ship, a series of overlapped barriers arranged in consecutive order from the top downward and each supported independently of the other, and means for supporting the same at a distance from the ship.

5. In a torpedo guard for a ship, racklike members composed of frames with slats thereon, and a plurality of hangers one behind the other connectible with the hull of a ship and set out from the same, said hangers having in the sides thereof vertically extending ways in which said frames are successively slidingly fitted one behind the other, so as to form a descending continuity of said frames on said hangers, said frames being capable of being assembled and removed through said ways.

6. In a torpedo guard for a ship, a series of overlapped barriersarranged in consecutive order from the top downward, and means for supporting the same each inde pendently of the other at a distance from the ship, said barriers'bein'g removable each independently of the other.

' 7 In a torpedo guard for a ship, a series of supports arranged in consecutive order from the top downward, and a series of barriers reinovably mounted in said supports and arranged in overlapping relation-in the series one with the other.

8. A torpedo guard for a ship composed of a series of hangers, and a series of barriers therein, said hangers having noses at their ends projecting beyond the barriers.

9. A torpedo guard for a ship composed of a series of hangers, and a series of barriers therein, said hangers'having noses at their ends projecting beyond the barriers and members of said barriers being tapered at acute angles to the front.

HENRY L. WEBER.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. VIEDERSHEIM, N. BUssiNeER'.

Etifi'bi! fins-patent may be wanna-rave cents each, by addressin the camiiiiss'nner or Pdte'ntb;

I Washington, D. C. 

